The present invention relates generally to a utility service tower, and, more particularly, to a water tower with a cell telephone antenna.
With the proliferation of cell phones and personal communications devices comes the need for antenna towers to support antennas for wireless transmission. These devices generally operate on a line-of-sight basis with an antenna; so, an antenna must be raised above the height of obstructions such as trees, buildings and landscape. A typical minimum height for an antenna is about a hundred feet. An antenna can sometimes be mounted on an electrical or telephone utility pole or tower provided the height is sufficient. While utility poles are virtually everywhere, they very often lack the required height, and the close proximity of antennas and power lines causes interference which deteriorates the quality of wireless transmissions. Antennas can be mounted on existing structures such as the top of a water tower. Cabling required for the antenna is routed up the side of the tower and across the top to the antennas. While this works well for the antenna, it creates problems when performing water tower maintenance such as painting. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to mount a wireless antenna on a structure at the required height without creating electrical interference or maintenance problems.
Because of the low power output of individual cell phones and other wireless devices, satellites cannot be used and do not replace the need for towers. Wireless antennas are costly and have a limited range but wireless devices are very popular, and are gaining in popularity daily. Tower cost is a fact that accounts for rapid wireless growth in large cities, heavily populated suburbs and along major arteries and limited excursion into smaller towns, communities and rural areas. Increasingly, moratoriums are being imposed on building additional antenna towers because, while they are needed for wireless device operation which everybody seems to want, nobody really wants them where they live or play.
Fortunately, with the growth of countywide fire departments, there come additional water towers which can be used for mounting antennas. However, mounting antennas on these towers make water tower maintenance more difficult because the of the cables that are typically routed up the tower and criss-cross the top of the tank. Also, the tower roof sometimes has to be reinforced to support the weight of the antenna. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a water tower that can mount an antenna without creating maintenance problems and that is reasonably unobtrusive.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the present invention, a service tower combines a water tower and antenna mast into a single structure. The tower has a bottom member for holding water, a top member for mounting the antenna, and a middle transitional section that connects the larger bottom member to the smaller top member. The top and bottom members are cylindrical and the transitional member is frustoconical. Ideally, the transition member has a height, top diameter and bottom diameter with the height being equal to the difference between the top and bottom diameters; and, the height of the bottom member is at least twice the height of the top member. A cable port is formed in the bottom end portion of the top member to receive communications cables to run inside the top member to the antennas. An antenna support is fastened to the top member above the cable port. A hollow support arm is fastened to the top member about an opening forming a passageway from the interior of the top member to the interior of the support arm. Cables are routed through the passageway to the antenna.
The cable port is the entrance for cables to the interior of the antenna mast portion of the service tower which eliminates the need for cables to crisscross the top of the structure. The service tower is designed as a unit that mounts on the ground and does not need additional reinforcing to support the antennas. The service tower has a smaller footprint than traditional water towers that are elevated on support legs and are therefore less obtrusive than standard water towers.
These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.